Smog increases the risk of infections and death from Covid: ISS data
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There is a link between the incidence of Sars-CoV2 infections, mortality from Covid and long-term exposure (2016-2019) to some of the main air pollutants in our country, such as nitrogen dioxide (No2) and atmospheric particulate matter (Pm 2.5 and pm 10). Especially in the elderly.
The national epidemiological project
This is demonstrated by the results of EpiCovAir, a national epidemiological research project on Covid-19 and pollution promoted by the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) and by the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research – National Environmental Protection System (Ispra-Snpa), in collaboration with the Italian environment and health network (Rias), presented today during a webinar at the ISS headquarters.
Four million cases examined
The investigations concerned around 4 million cases of Sars-CoV-2 and 125,000 deaths recorded by the national Covid-19 integrated surveillance system among the 60 million Italians residing in 7,800 municipalities during the first three epidemic waves (from February 2020 to June 2021), with an incidence of 67 infected cases per 1,000 inhabitants and a lethality rate of 31 deaths per 1,000 infected people.
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by Federico Mereta
The worst data in the North
The geographical distribution of the infection and deaths from Covid-19 “shows higher incidence and lethality in the areas of northern Italy, which also have higher long-term levels of air pollution. This is particularly true in the first wave of the epidemic, which it originated and spread starting from the northern regions, while the distributions of cases and deaths from Covid-19 are more homogeneous on the national territory in the second and third pandemic phases “, underlines the study.
“The associations with air pollution, stronger among elderly subjects – clarifies the research – reveal that in Italy the incidence of new cases grows significantly by 0.9%, 0.3% and 0.3% for each increase of 1 microgram per cubic meter in long-term exposure levels to No2, Pm 2.5 and Pm 10, respectively”.
The same goes for the lethality rates for Covid-19 which increase by 0.6%, 0.7% and 0.3% with each increase of one microgram per cubic meter in chronic exposure respectively to the same pollutants.
Polluted air for 4 out of 5 people, the alarm for health risks
“The analyzes carried out – explain the authors – take into account numerous geographical, demographic, socio-economic, health variables, as well as the mobility of the population during the pandemic thanks to the data provided by Enel X on traffic flows for all Italian municipalities” .
“The results achieved by EpiCovAir – he says Ivano Iavaronecoordinator of the Project – are consistent with the most recent evidence available in the international scientific literature, and support the need to act promptly to reduce emissions of air pollutants and their health impact, in line with the recent proposal of the European Commission for a new Directive on air quality and the fight against the climate crisis”.
Looking for strategies
“From this point of view, and not being able to exclude future epidemic risks – jointly conclude the presidents of Iss and Ispra-Snpa, Silvio Brusaferro And Stephen Laporta – it will be important to identify synergistic and cross-sector strategies for integrated prevention which, on a European, national, regional and local scale, accelerate the implementation of policies based on co-benefits, through structural interventions in key sectors such as transport, industry, energy and agriculture”.
Pollution, Italy black jersey in the EU for air quality: 70,000 avoidable deaths
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